The European Union, through its Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO), has contributed €1,575,000 to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) as food assistance to the war-torn Central African Republic.
The funds will be used to provide food staples such as rice, oil and peas to farming families so that they are not forced to sell or consume their seeds and tubers before the onset of harvest, which is typically in August and September.
ECHO Bangui acting head Karima Hammadi said: "It is vital to safeguard the seed-stock of local farmers so that they will have a harvest next season
"With this short-term food assistance we safeguard the long-term survival of many rural communities, and help strengthen the food security of the country."
The seed protection programme from the umbrella of the WFP and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in the Central African Republic focuses on rural impoverished families.
It aims to strengthen the resilience of food insecure households in areas affected by conflict, as well as foster links between farmers and markets to promote the commercialization of smallholder agriculture.
Assistance is also provided to those people returning home to take up their livelihoods.
The WFP has a target of reaching more than 400,000 people during the farming season, which runs from April to September. So far, nearly 212,000 people have received assistance this year.
The conflict, which began in early 2013 in the African republic, has displaced some 368,900 inside the country, with more than 460,000 people fleeing to neighbouring countries. As per the WFP's estimates, 1.27 million people are in need of humanitarian food assistance in the Central African Republic.
